The Return of the Prince
by xryosakufujix
Summary: Just when Sakuno was ready to become a new her, the return of the prince of tennis caught her off guard...will this bring back the feelings that she dread? or is she over the prince for good?
1. Chapter 1

The Return of the Prince

"Sakuno! Are you sure you don't want to come? Everybody is going!" asked Tomoka loudly.

"Tomoka, it's not that I don't want to go, I am just busy tomorrow. I wish I could go, but I…."said Sakuno, but before she could finish, her best friend said the words that cut through her heart.

"SA-KU-NO! This isn't just anybody! This is THE Ryoma Echizen! The Prince of tennis and the love of your life!" Screamed Tomoka over the phone.

"Tomoka…..I….no, I don't have those feelings for him anymore, and I really do have something to do tomorrow, like work, so I am sorry, I can not go to the airport with you and everyone…"said Sakuno.

"……Sakuno….If you really can't make it, I won't force you to come, but I just hope you are ready…for him…"said Tomoka quietly.

"haha, Tomoka, I am not that naïve 12-years-old school girl anymore, I am already 15 and in high school. I know how to take care of my self, don't worry, well anyway, I have to go, I'll see you in school tomorrow!" said Sakuno before hanging up the phone.

Sakuno turned around to see her own reflection in the mirror, and smiled at what she saw. Yes, she was no longer the wobbly hips that had two long braided hairs and always blush at every comment a person of opposite sex says to her. She had cut her hair, so instead of two endless braids, her hair is shorter and it flows freely behind her, with just a flower clip in the front to keep her hair out of her face. She might not be as beautiful as some of her other female friends, like Tomoka or Ann, but a confident and graceful aura surrounds her wherever she goes. Ever since the prince of tennis left Seigaku, she changed. Instead of standing on the sideline watching everyone else play, she practiced hard and with occasional help from Fuji Sempai, who volunteer to coach her after seeing her practicing by the park one afternoon, had became a steady player. She has become very comfortable and happy with her self.

As Sakuno got into bed and ready to go to sleep, the thought of tomorrow comes into her mind. Tomorrow, is a day she dreads, because tomorrow is the day Ryoma Echizen, the prince of tennis and her once-childhood-crush, is returning to Japan. It's not that she has anything against the young man; it just seeing him brings back old memories and that nostalgic feeling that, to Sakuno's fear, might turn her back into that timid little girl. _Everyone is going to pick him up at the airport tomorrow after school, well…everyone except me..._, she thought. _Well…it's not like I made up a reason to not go see him, I have to go to work after school tomorrow! So I have a good excuse!__But I'll still see him in school and at tennis practice, ARH what do I say when I see him? Ah…….._Too tired to think anymore, Sakuno drifted into slumber.

After school….

"Bye Sakuno! I'll see you tomorrow!" yelled Tomoka as she ran toward her two year boyfriend, Horio, and the other Tennis players who were getting ready to pick up their beloved Ochibi.

"Bye Tomo-chan!" yelled Sakuno, as she slowly walks in the other direction to the café she works at.

"Eh?? Sakuno-chan isn't coming??!! But Ochibi's coming home!! Her boyfriend!!" said Eiji surprisingly.

"Sakuno is NOT Ryoma-sama's girlfriend!" said Tomoka loudly, "although I wish they were a couple…"she added quietly.

"That Echizen, he must be the densest teenage boy I have ever seen in my entire life! I wish he could see what a great girl Sakuno-chan would be for him!" said Momo angrily. "but where is Sakuno chan going anyway?"

Tomoka was about to answer, but someone beat her to it.

"She works at this café called the music café, she waitress there, that's why she isn't coming." Said a smiling Fuij. At this, everybody turns and looked at the prodigy.

"According to my data, this is a very popular café, because there is live music perform by the waiters and waitress" said the Seigaku data man.

"Ah I see….well, let's get going!" said Momo excitedly as the old seigaku regulars heads toward the bus stop to get to the airport to pick up the prince of tennis that they have all missed all so much.

At the airport…

As the prince of tennis, Echizen Ryoma, exit from the plane, the nostalgic feeling over whelmed him. _I wonder how everyone is doing…_Ryoma said. However, his thought was quickly answered as he hears loud cheers of his name.

"RYOMA-SAMA! RYOMA-SAMA! WELCOME BACK!!" screamed Tomoka eagerly. Ryoma turned and saw the old gang; the Seigaku regulars, the freshman trio, and the loud cheerleader…_just one?..._thought Ryoma.

"Ochibi!! Welcome back!!" said Eiji excitedly as he gave Ryoma a big bear hug, but he quickly realized that 'ochibi' is no longer the proper work to describe Ryoma. At the age of 15, Ryoma had grown as tall as some of the regulars, and if he was handsome before, he was definitely drop dead gorgeous now.

"Yo Echizen! Good job on the U.S Open!" said Momo as he gave Ryoma a friendly pat on the back.

"Hmm…"was all that Ryoma said.

"haha, Echizen, you are still like before" said Oishi.

"Hey, how about we go get something to eat? To celebrate the return of our beloved Echizen?" said Momo happily.

"fshuu…pig…"said Kaidoh quietly. Normally Momo would start an argument, but he wanted to keep everything happy, so he decided to just ignore him.

"How about my sushi place?" offered Kawamura friendly. Just when everyone was going to agree, the tensai of Seigaku interrupted.

"Actually, I have a better place in mind…."said Fuji smilingly.

"Where?" questioned many of the regulars.

"o it's a nice cozy café not far from the school…."said Fuji as he shared a sadistic smile with Inui.

"Let's go then!" yelled Eiji as he dragged Ryoma away.

"What are you planning?" asked Tezuka with a warning glare.

"Nothing…just a nice reunion for everybody." Said Fuji smilingly as he follow the lead of Momo and Eiji. _And a wake up call of feelings for a certain two young teen…._


	2. so we meet again

Chapter 2: The Reunion

"Oi! Ryuzaki! You are on in two!" yelled Kaga san, the manager of the café.

"Hai!" said Sakuno. It's still hard for sakuno to believe that the music café wanted to hire her, because the young people that were hired here are all very talented musicians, and she was only a simple girl who had interviewed, or rather "auditioned", for the job out of curiosity. Although she was scared at first, she learned to love working here, because not only is singing her other favorite hobby besides tennis, but also because she loved the feeling and atmosphere that the café created.

The music café is actually quite large for a normal café, but the fact that it has a stage for instruments and vocal performances makes it even more extraordinary. Sakuno loves everything about this place, from the music that is continuously playing, to the warm scent of coffee that is constantly in the air.

As Sakuno approach the stage for her "music shift", the door to the café opened, and entered the seigaku regulars, her best friends, and… _Ryoma-kun…_ Sakuno thought. The sight of the prince brought back a flashback of all of her times in the middle school, when she once yearned for the affection of the young prodigy. Just when Sakuno was about to walk over and say hello, out of politeness, the music started to play, so she had no choice but to stay and finish her song.

As the music starts to play, everything around her seems to disappear; she can't see anyone, and she can't sense anything. All she felt was the music that was flowing through her body, and the only thing she could do was to sing her heart out. She closed her eyes and with her mouth the music starts to pour out of her.

"Wow I never knew sakuno-chan could sing so well!!" said Eiji, as he and the others were seated to a table. He was extremely shocked at the amazing voice his cute little kohai had. The other regulars, besides Fuji and Tezuka, nodded in agreement.

"She doesn't like to tell people about it, but her voice had always been amazing." said Fuij smilingly. This earned him a surprised look from Ryoma. _Fuji-Sempai…?_ Ryoma thought, but was interrupted when a certain auburn girl walked over.

"ah welcome to the café minna-san," said Sakuno as she bowed politely, then she turned her head and focused her eyes on the young prince, "ano… welcome back to Japan… Ryoma-kun." As she examined the prince, she quickly realized that he was no longer a little young boy that she knew; he had grown not only taller, but even more handsome than before.

"Hm…" answered Ryoma. Just like Sakuno, he also realized the change in the girl who he always thought of as either wobbly-hips, or the stuttering girl. However, the girl in front of him is now is the exact opposite of what he was accustomed to. He noticed that she had finally abandoned those endless and childlike braids, and instead, her hair is shorter and it flows freely behind her, making her look more mature. Along with her hair, he noticed the great development in her body shape, although he had made it his goal to not become a pervert like his baka oyaji, he is, after all, still a teenage guy, and he couldn't help but notice the nice curves that the girl in front of him possessed. However, the thing the caught his attention the most was Sakunos' eyes; they had a deep shade of brown, and held such intensity that he couldn't help but he lost in them.

"I didn't expect to see you all here" said Sakuno.

"Nyah! We thought we should celebrate the return of our ochibi! And Fuji recommended this place, and it's good that we came, because we got to hear your beautiful voice!" said Eiji with excitement.

"Ah…Eiji-Sempai is too kind…it wasn't that great…" said Sakuno as she blushed.

"Sa Sakuno-chan is too modest" said Fuji smilingly as he petted Sakuno's head as if she was a little kid. This gesture not only caused Sakuno to blush more, but he also earned curious look from Echizen.

"haha, Fuji-Sempai is too nice, anyway, I'll be your waitress for today, what can I get for mina-san?" asked Sakuno as she took out a little pad to take the orders.

The gathering in the café made everyone seemed like they were back in middle school, and this would of course include the constant argument between Kaidoh and Momo, the loud quarrel between Horio and Tomoka, and the noises brought by Eiji's excitement. However, there were also some differences, as a certain pair of young teens would occasionally sneak glance at each other.

Eventually, it was time for everyone to go home. The group paid the check and starts to get ready to leave.

"Ah that was so fun! We should really do this more often!" said Eiji

"Yeah, we really should! However, since the regional competitions are closing in, we need more time to practice, right Seigaku?" said Oishi

"Hai! SEIGAKU Fight-o!" cheered the enthusiastic tennis players.

As Sakuno watches the scene in front of her in smile, a small tap on the shoulder wakes her from her thoughts.

"It's too late for you to walk home alone, how about I take you home, Sakuno-chan?" asked Fuji politely as he smiles down on her.

"That's too kind of you Fuji-sempai, I wouldn't want to be a bother to you, besides, you live the other way. Don't worry, I'll be fine on my own" Answered Sakuno thoughtfully. Catching a bit of this conversation, a plan formed in Momo's head.

"Maybe Echizen should walk you home!" suggested Momo.

Hearing the sound of his name, Ryoma turned around, and was immediately lock under Momo and Eiji's arms.

"Yeah! Ochibi! A guy should never let a beautiful girl walk home alone after dark, so YOU should walk her home!" said Eiji, agreeing to Momo's plan.

"Hmm?" said Ecizen, as he was still very confuse at the situation.

"Ah…ah…really, it's okay! I will be fine by my self!" said Sakuno thinking that she will never be able to survive a walk home alone with the prince.

"Non-sense! What kind of sempai-itachi would we be if we let our favorite Seigaku cheerleader go home alone, think of what Ryuzaki sensei would do to us if she found out!" said Momo as he pushed Ryoma towards Sakuno.

"Ano…ano…."stuttered Sakuno as she blushes more and more.

"It would be unsafe for you to go home alone…"said Oishi, or the "mama" of seigaku.

"And according to my data, out of all of us, Echizen lives the closest to Ryuzaki-chan" said the data-man of Seigaku.

Not that he hated doing this, but seeing there was no way out of it, Ryoma walked over to Sakuno and said, "Let go Ryuzaki", and began to head home.

"Ryo-ryoma-kun….?" Said a shocked Sakuno.

"Sakuno! Sakuno! Don't just stand there! THE RYOMA ECHIZEN just agreed to take you home! As the president of his fan club, I demand you to follow him!" said Tomoka loudly as she pushed Sakuno to move forward.

"Ah…Hai! I'll see you tomorrow Tomo-chan! Good night mina-san!" yelled Sakuno as she ran to catch up with Ryoma, leaving a crowd of knowing smiles.

"Sa this is certainly getting interesting" said Fuji to no one in particular.


	3. confrontation

Chapter 3: Confrontation

"Ano…Ryoma-kun! I saw your last match on TV; you really did an amazing job! Congratulations!" said Sakuno, as she was starting to feel uncomfortable with the silence between them.

"Arigatou…" answered Ryoma without even glancing at the girl next to him.

'_Why is he always like this!?' _thought Sakuno as she suddenly felt anger and frustration towards the silent boy. _Sakuno! Are you prepared to turn back to that pathetic little girl?! Because that's what you are right now! you're losing yourself for that arrogant tennis prince, who you NO LONGER has ANY feelings for! _said a small voice inside her head.

Suddenly, something in Sakuno snapped, and she decided to put everything out in the open, so she will be able to finally let go, and embrace the new sakuno.

"Ryoma kun! Could we take a detour to the park? There's something I want to say." said Sakuno firmly as she stopped in her tracks.

Hearing such a sudden request from the girl that he had always thought as shy and clumsy, Ryoma was stunned. However, when he saw the confident and serous glow in Sakuno's eyes, he nodded and headed for the park.

Due to the fact that it was already dark out, the park was empty and silent, as if it was an abandoned place. Nothing could be heard except for the rustling of the leaves on the trees. The pair walked into the park and stopped in front of the swings. Surprisingly, the prince was the one who walked casually toward the swings and sat down in it, and the same action was repeated by the girl, whose mind was swirling to no end and whose heart was beating crazily.

"Ok, shoot." said Ryoma lazily as he fixed his gaze on the girl sitting next to him.

Sakuno took a glance at Ryoma, and thought to herself, _Ok Sakuno, this is it, this is where you change everything about your life…for the better!_

"Ryo-ryoma-kun! I know it's probably weird for me to ask this, but did you know that I had a crush on you in our Freshmen year in Seigaku?", started Sakuno as she looked right at Ryoma, and the widening of Ryoma's eyes told her something, smiling at him, she continued, "I thought so, you didn't notice my feelings—as a matter of fact, I don't think you even notice me, that's okay though, because what I want to tell you today is that….is that I don't harbor those feelings anymore!" shouted Sakuno, as she feels her self on the edge of tears.

Ryoma was…surprised, to say the least. True that he never knew about the pig tailed girl's feelings, but he did acknowledge her. Therefore, never in a million years, would he imagine the girl shouting out that she no longer liked him, who was admired greatly by almost everyone he knew. As silence rang through the park and between the two young teens, Ryoma slowly stood up, and looked intently at the girl.

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Ryoma.

"Na-nani?" answered Sakuno, who was surprised by Ryoma's question, "well…well I guess I just want you to know that….that I changed, that's all…."

"Huh……"was all Ryoma said.

The pair once again stayed in silence for a few minutes, but seeing how Ryoma was no longer saying anything…or moving at all, Sakuno gathered her things, and headed for the exit of the park. However, as she was about to leave, a hand on her wrist stopped her, and she turned around and was met by Ryoma's cat-like eyes.

"Prove it…" said Ryoma as he held on to the girl's wrist.

"Huh?" was all Sakuno was able to say.

"Prove to me that you changed, that you're no longer wobbly hips"

"…..how would I do that?"

"Be friends with me"

"………"

"If you are no longer a noisy and crazy fangirl, let's be friends"

Sakuno stared at Ryoma, shocked at his request. However, suddenly, a warm feeling erupt inside of her, and she felt the tears finally dropping from her eyes.

"Hai! I would love to be friends with you, Ryoma-kun!" said Sakuno, with a big warm smile on her face. Ryoma looked at her, and smirked.

"Let's go, Ryuzaki, I don't want you to waste anymore of my time." said Ryoma, as he walked out of the park.

"Ah! Ryoma-kun no baka! Wait for me!" shouted Sakuno as she ran after him.

Ryuzaki Residence-

_Whew what a day! I can't believe that actually happened! _thought Sakuno to herself as she plopped down onto her bed. _But I couldn't hope for a better outcome! This is what I want right? And this will lead to a happier Sakuno, right?_

"Right!" said sakuno to her self, as she drifted off to sleep.

Echizen Residence-

_Hm….Ryuzaki really did change…._thought Ryoma, remembering Sakuno's confession. _Not that it mattered to me, besides, now I have one less annoying fangirl to worry about._ However, as Ryoma slowly floated to dreamland, one last thought flashed through his mind.

_Do I care?_


End file.
